Barbican
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ˈbɑːbɪkən/ · Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Barbican is a noun meaning A tower at the entrance to a castle or fortified town.
Meaning
A tower at the entrance to a castle or fortified town.
More Meanings
- A fortress at the end of a bridge.
- A temporary wooden tower built for defensive purposes.
- An opening in the wall of a fortress through which the guns are levelled; a narrow loophole through which arrows and other missiles may be shot.
Example Sentences
Near-synonym: guardhouse
Two shafts of soft daylight fell across the flagged floor from the high barbacans.
The stone part of the drawbridge with its barbican and the bartizans of the gatehouse are in good repair. […] There was a large hidden trapdoor in the floor of the barbican, which would let them into the moat after all.
Word Forms
- barbicans
- barbacan
Synonyms for barbican
Depending on context, synonyms include guardhouse, balistraria, arrowslit, arrow-hole, loophole, barbacan.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include barbacan, citadel, wall, bastion, bawn, place.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.